House electric



Nov. 10, 1925- 5 30 A. .1. BASTlAN PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR MOLDING Filed June 9, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F/ya: F72 7 1,: 7 7 2 Fly/0. fiy/l WITNESSES: INVENTOR I JfJQKLZZQ/WLW ArfhurJ 150527017 Nov. 10,1925- 'A. J. BASTIAN PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR MOLDING Filed June 9. 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Arfhurd. Baafian.

WITNESSES: .CZW

ATZI'ORNEY Patented Nov. 10, 1925 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AIR-THUR J. BASTIAN, OF EDGEWOOD PARK. PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTING- I HOUSE ELECTRIC & NEANUFACTTJRING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR MOLDING.

Application filed June 91.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known-that I, ARTHUR J. BASTIAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Edgewood Park, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in lroeesses of and Apparatus for Molding, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to molds and it has, for its primary object, theprovision of a mold which shall be particularly adapted for utilization in the construction of fairlead bushings, such as are employed in the wireless equipment of aircraft.

On account of the unusual construction of fairleads great diliiculty has been experienced, heretofore, in properly forming them to obtain suflicient mechanical strength in the resulting article. The fairlead comprises a tubular element which is employed to trail an antenna wire below a plane and this tubular element must be securely mounted upon the fuselage and it must also be insulated therefrom.

In order to obtain the desired mechanical strength in the tubular element, which is subjected to relatively great strains by the trailing antenna wire, a metallic tube is employed and this tube is insulated, by superimposing about it layers of fibrous sheet material impregnated with a suitable binder which is adapted to harden under the application of heat and pressure. The metallic tubular element serves as an electrical contact and is secured to the fuselage by means of a suitable insulating receptacle fastened to the tube and adapted to be bolted to the fuselage of the plane.

The object of my invention resides, therefore, in providing a mold which may be employed in compacting the material surrounding the metallic tube and to which heat may be applied to cure or harden the binder utilized with the insulating material.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a mold in which a fairlead bushing may be molded in substantially one operation, thus promoting rapid production of such articles.

With these and other objects in view my invention will be more fully described, illustrated in the drawings, in the several views 1919. Serial No. 302,637.

of which like numerals indicate corresponding parts, and then particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section and partly inelevation, of an inner mold embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an end view of the inner mold shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a bar employed in closing one end of the mold embodying. my invention; Fig. 4 is an end view of the bar shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a side view of a centering pin employed in my mold; Fig. 6 is an end view of a forming and pressure member employed in my mold; Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line VIIVII of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a plan view of a closing member employed with the inner mold shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 9 is a side view of the member shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a transverse, sectional view of a member adapted to be employed with the pressure member shown in Fig. 6; Fig. 11 is an end View of the member shown in Fig. 10; Fig. 12 is a side view, partially in section and partially in elevation, of an as sembled mold embodying myinvention, illustrating the disposition of the fairlead which may be molded therein and also the manner of securing the body of the mold to a press platen and Fig. 13 is an end view of the body of the mold shown in Fig. 12.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, I may employ an inner mold 1 which comprises a plurality of splits 2 having radial faces3, the splits being so formed that, when placed with the radial faces 3 in engagement, a frusto-conical body is provided. The inner faces of the splits are so grooved as to provide a longitudinal opening 4: communicating with a larger cylindrical opening 5 at one end and with a restricted opening 6 which, in turn, communicates with a relatively large opening 7 at the other end of the assembled inner mold. The radial faces of the splits 2 are, preferably, provided with grooved portions 8 which form over-flow chambers when the inner mold is assembled. The radial faces are also drilled to provide openings 9 to receive dowel pins 10 which are employed to insure simultaneous movement of the splits forming the inner mold when it is dis, posed in the mold body.

A pressure member 11, which is constructed of suitable dimensions to permit of disposing it in the opening 5 in the inner mold 1, is formed with. a central opening 12 and a plurality of smaller openings l3, adjacent its periphery, which are adapted to receive members H which carry marking pins 15. As shown in the drawings, the member is formed, at one end, with shoulders 16 tor reasons which will be apparent from the description, hereinafter set forth, of the mold ing operation oi" the fairlead bushing. in Figs. 10 and ll is shown a member 1? so formed to fit within the opening 12 of th pressure member 11. The member 11' is also formed with an opening communicating with a restricted opei'iing 1&1, the openings 18 and 19 providing a passage through the member 17. The member 17 is also provided with a recess 20.

Referring to Figs 12 a body 21 comprises a rectal vided with a tapered bore through the body and adapted to receive the itrusto-conical inner mold 1. The walls 0% the mold body 21 are provided with passages 23, providin means for circulating a heating fluid to neat the mold. A plurality oi ears 2} are secured to one end fare of the mold body 21 to provide means for securin the mold to a press platen 25. The end or 13, the moldir body prothe mold body 21, which carries the ears 2%,.

is provided with a channel 26 adapted to receive a bar 2? and the channel is preterably Ofl greater depth than the thickness of the bar.

in employing the mold above set forth, a tairlead bushing is partially preformed by employing a metallic tube 28 about which is superimposed layers of fibrous material The libro s material is preferably impregnated with a suitable binder, such as phenolic condensation product. The metallic tube 28, and the surrounding fibrous material 29, may be disposed in the openin orovided in the assembed splits 2 and a centering pin 30 may be so extended through the metallic tube that its head 31 seats in the opening 6 oil the inner mold. A member 32, shown. in Figs. 8 and 9, may then be disposed in the opening 7 and secured therein by any suitable means, such as by means of a screw 33. The metallic tube is thus held securely in place in the assembled inner mold and, while thus held in place, a suitable molding composition may be disposed about the end of the tube which extends into the opening 5 of the inner mold 1. The. molding; composition 36 may comprise wood flour mixed with a phenolic condensation product.

The member 17 may be disposed in the opening 12 of the pressure or forming member 11 and a contact member 84: may be dis posed upon the end 01 the member 17 with 22 extending claims.

its threaded projection 35 seated in the recess 20. The member 11 may then be disposed in the opening 5 and, when thus dispo ed, the centering pin 30 and the metallic tube lit into the openings 18 and 19 of .'.10 the member 17.

" The moliz core 1 is now in readiness to be disposed Within the body 21 which is preferably secured to the press platen 25 with the bar 27 disposed in place to close the opening at the end of the mold body. The inner mold is forced into the tapered bore of the mold 21 by pressure transmitted by the press platen 25 against a plate (not shown) which is held stationary against the opposite end of the extending inner mold. its the inner mold 1 is forced into the mold body 21, the splits are forced into engagement with the material disposed about the metallic tube contained therein and exert a compacting pressure thereon. The member 11 is also forced into the openings against the molding composition disposed therein and compacts it to form the walls of a receptacle upon the end of the fairlea'l bushing. Heat is applied together with the pressure to first soften the phenolic condensation product and to then harden it to a substantially insoluble and infusible state. The pins 15 make center marks in the end walls of the recesses, provided in the molding composition, by the members 14. The marks thus made may be utilized as guides when the molded body is drilled to provide openings to receive clamping bolts or screws.

A. iairlead bushing may thus be molded in substantially one operation although the operation does, strictly speaking, comprise two steps; first, the pressure of the fibrous material surrounding the metallic tube 28 and second the additional pressure utilized in compacting the molding composition em- .ploycd to form the receptacle at the end of the tube fl n The channel 26 provided in mold body 21 is preferably of greater epth than the thickness of the closing bar 2?. so that slight play of the latter is al lowed and, when the inner mold 1 has been fully advanced into the mold body 21 and the bushing contained therein has been p essed and cured, the inner mold may be easily removed by applying pressure to the bar 2'? by means of any suitable implement to start the inner mold 1 out of the mold body 21.

Although I have specifically described a mold embodying my invention and pointed out a particular application therefor it is obvious that minor changes may be made in the construction of the mold and various applications may be found therefor and I desire that no limitations shall be imposed except such as are indicated in the appended I claim as my invention:

1. A mold comprising a frusto-conical' inner mold including a plurality of splits having radial engaging faces and provided with recesses at each end connected by a central opening, a member adapted to seat in one of said recesses to close one end of the inner mold, a member provided with an opening adjacent its center and a plurality of openings adjacent its periphery adapted to fit within the other recess, a plurality of pins adapted to be disposed within the openings adjacent the periphery of the end member and a body provided with a tapered bore adapted to receive the inner mold.

2. The method of molding articles which comprises providing a mold having a central opening to receive a plunger having an opening that constitutes the matrix of the article to be formed, inserting a preformed body to be molded in a constricted portion of the opening in said plunger, charging the remaining portion of said matrix With a molding composition, inserting a pressure block in one end of said matrix, and applying heat to said mold and pressure to said block and plunger independently to simultaneously compact and consolidate the preformed body and composition.

3. The method of moldin articles which comprises providing a mold having a central opening adapted to receive a plunger that constitutes the matrix of the article to be formed, charging said matrix with a molding composition, inserting a pressure block in one end thereof and applying heat to said mold and pressure to said block and plunger independently to simultaneously compact and consolidate the composition.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 26th day of May ARTHUR J. BASTIAN. 

